How do I Look?

Why you need a business email address

Jul 25, 2016

For small businesses, every decision is a delicate juggle of expenditure, value and the bigger picture. When considering a feature such as a business email address, any additional expenditure can seem excessive. Why go to all the trouble when you can set up an address through the likes of Google or Yahoo for free? We’d argue that the value of your business having a domain specific email address on display as part of any visual presence is greater than the monetary cost of setting it up in the first place. It weighs in on the side of the bigger picture.

The Sign of a Professional

Customers are nine times more likely to use a business that has a professional looking email address. This means more than just the information displayed as part of an online directory. It is relevant wherever your prospective client may see your business displayed. Think of any advertising signage, business cards or vehicle wraps. Every moment could be reaching a potential customer or client. So maintaining a professional image is paramount.

A Matter of Trust

A business email address presents your business as one that is well established and therefore trustworthy. The importance of trust in a brand has always existed but with high profile collapses of both online and high street businesses in recent years, creating a solid and trustworthy image is more important now than ever before.

Easy Streamlining

It’s not all about the brand of course. There are practical reasons for setting up a dedicated email infrastructure. Using email addresses that direct to departments – for example, publicity@ or sales@ or payroll@ – helps to streamline your communications. It is a filing process that happens before you even read your emails. That’s got to be helpful!

All the Tricks of the Trade

Setting up an email service does not have to just be about the email. Hosting options are offered to manage your office systems alongside your email with all of the associated functions – for example, calendars, tasks and contacts. You may find that consolidating your office system management and support is not at all costly.

Your Domain is your Castle

Having an online presence is important, especially when creating signage. A website address is easier to remember than a telephone number. With customers routinely citing a lack of website as a reason for not using a company, even the most basic website will offer your customer reassurance. If you do not yet have a website, registering your domain name at the same time as creating your email address is a sensible multi-task; one that can, in fact, offer cost savings. Many web hosting companies offer a set number of free email addresses when you host your website through their service.

Can we Fix it?

Whether you opt for managed hosting of email, office, website or the whole lot, don’t forget that you will benefit from the support packages that your hosting company will offer. Clearly, the level of support varies with the premium that you are paying, but you may find that having this help on offer is a worthwhile venture when it is not feasible to employ a dedicated technical support team.

In reality, the decision about whether to set up a business email is so much more complex that simply considering the monetary cost of this one process. There are varying service levels with which you can proceed both for your email hosting and the support you wish to employ, not to mention the range of services you choose to utilise as part of the process. Each business is unique and has its own bespoke needs, so the answer is not a simple one. The statement we can make without a doubt is that when promoting your business by signage or by vehicle wrap, having a professional business email address puts you a cut above those who don’t. The distance that you choose to travel down this path, however, is entirely up to you.